Essential ingredients for summer salads and fruity puds

Lettuce - the staple for summer salads, lettuce is at its best right now. There are scores of different varieties to choose from, so try experimenting with your salads. Some of our lettuce comes in ready-prepared salad bags, containing all sorts of unusual leaves, while little gems, icebergs and round lettuces are great to carry dishes like tuna or chicken mayonnaise.

Try this: cut gem lettuce in half, drizzle with olive oil and season. In a hot pan or on the BBQ, lightly cook the lettuces cut side down. Serve with dips, salad dressing and grated parmesan cheese

Cucumber – another salad superhero, cucumber gives a nice contrasting crunch to the softer leaves of lettuce. Extremely low in calories, it’s a handy item to have in the fridge to make into healthy snacks – delicious as a crudité to dip into hoummus and other dips. You also find it finely sliced as a filling for crispy duck pancakes!

Try this: add finely sliced cucumber to natural yoghurt to make a cooling and refreshing raita – perfect for combating the heat of curries and other spicy foods

Beetroot – earthy and wholesome, beetroot can often be overlooked but is actually one of the original superfoods. It’s a great source of many essential minerals and tastes great too! You can buy it ready cooked – delicious in sandwiches with a hunk of cheddar cheese, or raw – see Chef’s Table for a lovely, wholesome summer salad from The Horse & Groom.

Try this: for an easy beetroot soup, sweat an onion with some garlic, then add chopped beetroot, a splash of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and 750ml of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, blend and serve

Blueberries – one of the nation’s favourite superfoods, blueberries have grown in popularity over the last few years. They’re so easy to prepare – mix a few with raspberries and strawberries and top with vanilla ice cream or add a handful to your morning porridge or yoghurt. Gently cooking them also releases their sweetness and we all know how good they taste in muffins!

Try this: mix equal amounts of blueberries with other berries of your choice. Splash with orange juice and put in a pie dish. Cover with a crumble topping, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 40 minutes for an easy summer berry crumble

50p off when you buy Budgens Little Gem Lettuces
Valid from 2nd July 2010 until 5th August 2010

Try Budgens Little Gem Lettuces at a reduced price using your money off vouchers!